Iran

Floor Speech

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Mr. ZELDIN. Thank you, Mr. DeSantis. Thank you for your leadership on this critically important issue. I also appreciate your pointing out the hypocrisy of the Obama administration having nothing to say as the Ayatollah, the people of Iran, and the leadership of the Iranian Government talk about death to America, and this President does nothing, excusing it--it is okay because of the hard-liners in Iran. Yet he will be critical of the Israeli Prime Minister, who is speaking of the lack of viability of a two-state solution. I really appreciate your leadership on all of these issues and pointing out the very hypocritical position.

Madam Speaker, I am here today to articulate some of my concerns with the current status of the Iran nuke talks. Just recently, the President announced a framework agreement with Iran. At that time he released a fact sheet. That fact sheet, within 24 hours, saw the Iranian Foreign Minister going on his Twitter feed disputing that fact sheet and calling it just spin. Both sides, the Obama administration and the
Iranian Government, are both spinning in different directions for their own domestic politics what isn't even in agreement.

An agreement requires a meeting of the minds. When you announce an agreement and both sides are disputing what the terms of that agreement are, there is no agreement. I don't know if anyone believes that the negotiators purposely left off a signature block on that fact sheet.

Let's talk about what is not included: Iran's state sponsorship of terrorism, Iran blowing up mock USS warships, talking about the need to erase Israel from the map, Iran's development of ICBMs, and overthrowing foreign governments. These aren't even part of the negotiations. Nothing is being reported to the American people about
how individuals who are U.S. citizens are being wrongfully held in captivity by the Iranian Government. This President's tactics with these negotiations, regardless of who the next President of the United States will be, these tactics are cutting off the leverage of that next President who may be emboldened in ways that this President isn't to
tackle those challenges of the ways Iran sponsors terrorism throughout the Middle East and around the globe.

These talks are on pace to trigger a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. Iran is not negotiating in good faith, and they smell American weakness, not American strength.

The Obama administration believes that the only option is to cut a deal just to cut a deal. This President should instead, with strength and courage as the leader of the free world, be bringing the Iranians to their knees. That is what strength looks like. If you want to change sanctions, strengthen them. Don't weaken them.

Madam Speaker, in 2009, the Iranians were emboldened, contesting what was supposed to be a democratic election that was widely viewed as being full of corruption. Where was President Obama in 2009 when this opportunity presented itself for the Iranian people while oil was $100 a barrel? Our President could have exercised leadership then, and we would not even be here today. The President says that the only option is to cut this deal just to cut a deal.

I don't buy that there aren't other options to pursue. As I talk to colleagues, really, on both sides of the aisle, sharing concern with the direction of these nuke talks, there is resolve and commitment to find a third strategy. If that time comes, where the President of the United States believes he must threaten the use of dropping a bomb, he must be prepared to do it and threaten to drop 20 more. If that time in
the future comes where this President or the next has to then drop another bomb, threaten to drop 50 more. Our enemies do not respect weakness; they only respect strength.

But today as we stand here in this stage of these Iran nuke talks, I stand with my colleagues who know that there is a third option that this President is not telling the American people about for his own domestic politics.

I challenge our President with strength to bring the Iranian Government to their knees. You are the leader of the free world. Act like it.

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